Means for packaging and dispensing chaff



March m, 170 B. A. CASH MEANS FOR PACKAGING AND DISPENSING CHAFF FiledFeb. 5, 1963 ECEMFLELLQUCPQ FIEIZ INVENTOR. BUR/V6 ,4. 6 SH 16 /4 ,ea 16\w H ii &,

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3,500,409 MEANS FOR PACKAGING AND DISPENSING CHAFF Burns A. Cash,Madison, Wis., assignor to the United States of America as representedby the Secretary of the Air Force Filed Feb. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 264,466Int. Cl. C06d 1/04; F42b 25/02; H01q 15/00 US. Cl. 34318 3 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container has a weighted end and an openend. A cap with a greater periphery than the container is slideablyfitted over the open end. Attached to the cap is line which isinterfolded with chaff contained within the container. The air drag onthe falling container and cap pulls the cap free of the container,extending the rope from the container thus dispersing the enclosedchaff.

This invention relates to the packaging and dispensing of a plurality ofdiscrete fibers of various lengths in the earths atmosphere to reducethe effectiveness of attempts made by an enemy to detect and trackaircraft and missiles and to predict the course thereof by radar.

The fibers to be dispensed may consist of vitreous material such asglass or vitreous silica, coated with a conductive metal such asaluminum, magnesium, silver or copper; or alloys containing thesemetals. The fibers may be of any convenient diameter; however, it hasbeen found that fibers of 20 to 40 microns are very satisfactory.Likewise, the metal coating may be made of any convenient thickness;however, it has been found that a metal thickness of 2 to 100 microns isvery satisfactory.

Each individual fiber, when floating in the atmosphere, acts as adipole. Electromagnetic radiation of a frequency which is resonant withthe dipole is reinforced by resonance in the dipole, and radiation is ineffect rebroadcast by the coated fiber acting as a dipole. In effect,each dipole acts as a reflector. The radiation eminating from aplurality of dipoles, which are resonant with the frequency emitted froman enemys radar apparatus, appears on the oscilloscopes of the enemy asa bright cloud or bright object having various characteristics dependingon the manner in which the dipole material is dispensed.

Fibrous matter having a length of say A inch to about 1 /2 inches willbe hereinafter referred to as chaff. Fibrous matter longer than chaff,which may be up to 500 feet in length, but preferably from about 3inches to 100 feet in length, will be hereinafter referred to as rope.Such rope may be round, or it may be in the form of fiat tapes. Suchrope is not intended to be resonant with radar frequencies. It is,however, intended to respond to other frequencies, or to emit radiationin response to frequencies to which it is not resonant.

It is generally preferred to dispense a certain amount of rope and acertain amount of chaff, more or less simultaneously. This inventionprovides means for carrying such rope and chaff in an aircraft ormissile, and dispensing it in the atmosphere from the carrying vehicleat the appropriate time.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved means forcarrying on an airplane or missile, material to be dispensed as chaff orrope.

Another object of this invention is to provide a means for dispensingthe material from its container.

A further object of this invention is to package the rope and chaffwithin a container in such manner that the entire packaged material willnot be released instantaneously into the atmosphere.

3,500,409 Patented Mar. 10, 1970 Yet another object of this invention isto provide a container openable by drag through the air.

Additional objects, advantages and features of the invention reside inthe construction, arrangement and combination of parts involved in theembodiment of the invention as will appear from the followingdescription and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross section through the container and showing themethod of packaging the rope and chaff therein.

FIG. 2 is a plan section along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section similar to FIG. 1 and showing the lidremoved from the can and acting as a drag chute to withdraw the rope andchaff from the can.

Referring to the drawing, the container referred to generally ascontainer 10 has an open end can 12 and a removable lid 14. The can, asshown on FIG. 2, may be made square, or it may be made round or anyother convenient form without departing from the invention. The lid, onits underside, is provided with spring clips 16 joined to the lid forremovably holding the lid in place over the open end of the can as shownon FIG. 1.

Lid 14 is of an area greater than the cross-sectional area of the can soas to laterally extend beyond the sides of the can. The lid is providedwith a rim 18 about the perimeter to provide a drag lip for a purpose tobe hereinafter described.

The bottom of the can 10 has an inwardly formed cavity 20 in whichweight 22 is installed to provide a bottom weighted can.

Within the can, the rope and chaff is accordion packed as shown onFIG. 1. Rope 24, which may be in the form of filaments of the samematerial as the chaff, or which may be made in tape form as dictated bythe particular application, is shown for clarity on the drawings in tapeform. Rope 24, has one end 26 joined to the can and the other end 28joined to the inner or under side of lid 14. The can is packed with therope convolutely folded or accordion pleated as shown, and containingchaff 30 interspersed between the folds or pleats. The chaff may beplaced into the can in any convenient form, without departing from theinvention. For example: it may be more or less horizontally placed, asshown on pleats A of FIG. 1, or more or less vertically placed as shownon pleats B, or it may be jumbled as shown on pleats C.

Any number of containers as described and filled with rope and chaff maybe carried aloft and released at, the appropriate time. As thecontainers are discarded from the carrier vehicle, the weighted end ofthecans will go to the bottom. When sufiicient velocity has beenattained, drag on the underside of lid 14 and the drag lip formed by rim18 will cause the lid to become detached from the can and act as a dragchute on the can, which continues to fall. As shown on FIG. 3, the dragchute action of the lid pulls on the rope, causing it to be pulled fromthe can to thereby disperse the chaff, pleat by pleat.

It is noted that, as above described, the rope was built to haveelectrical characteristics for purposes as described.

However, should it be desired to dispense chaff only, the rope may bemade of material without electrical properties, as for example, cottontape.

It is to be understood that the embodiment of the present invention asshown and described is to be regarded as illustrative only and that theinvention is susceptible to variations, modifications and changes withinthe scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Means for packaging and dispensing chaff into the earths atmospherefrom an aircraft or other space .vehicle and comprising: a containerhaving an open end can and a lid having an area greater than thecross'sectional area of said can to laterally extend beyond the sides ofsaid can, said lid being slidably joined at the underneath side to theopen end of said can and having a rim about the perimeter to provide adrag lip, said lid being removable from said can during free fall in theatmosphere due to air acting on the drag lip and the dispensing meansconvolutely folded within said open end can and having one end joined tosaid can and the opposite end joined to the underside of said lid, andchaff contained within said can and interspersed in the folds of saiddispensing means to be dispersed into the atmosphere as the said lidacting as a drag chute Withdraws the folded dispensing means from withinsaid can.

2. Means for packaging and dispensing chaff into the earths atmospherefrom an aircraft or other space vehicle and comprising: a containerhaving a can with an Open end and a Weighted bottom on the opposite end,and a lid having an area greater than the cross-sectional area of saidcan to laterally extend beyond the sides of said can, said lid beingslidably joined at the underneath side to the open end of said can andhaving a rim about the perimeter to provide a drag lip, said lid beingremovable from said can during free fall in the atmosphere due to airacting on the drag lip and the underside of said lid, flexible elongateddispensing means convolutely folded within said open end can and havingone end joined to said can and the opposite end joined to the undersideof said lid, and chaff contained within said can and interspersed in thefolds of said dispensing means to be dispersed into the atmosphere asthe said lid acting as a drag chute withdraws the folded dispensingmeans from within said can.

3. Means for packaging and dispensing chaff into the earths atmospherefrom an aircraft or other space vehicle and comprising: a containerhaving a can of rectangular cross section with an open end and aWeighted bottom on the opposite end, and a lid having an area greaterthan the cross-sectional area of said can to laterally extend beyond thesides of said can and further having a plurality of springs clips on theunderneath side engaging the open end of said can be releasably holdingsaid lid to said cam and having a rim about the perimeter to provide adrag lip, said lid being removable from said can during free fall in theatmosphere due to air acting on the drag lip and the underside of saidlid, a flexible elongated dispensing tape within said can, said tapebeing convolutely folded into folds parallel to the open end of said canand having one end joined to the inside of said can with the oppositeend joined to the underside of said lid, and chaff comprising aplurality of discrete fibers contained within said can and interspersedin the folds of said dispensing tape to be dispersed into the atmosphereas the said'lid acting as a drag chute Withdraws the folded dispensingtape from within said can.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,368,587 1/1945 Wise 102-63FOREIGN PATENTS 834,587 5/1960 Great Britain.

RODNEY D. BENNETT, 1a., Primary Examiner B. L. RIBANDO, AssistantExaminer US. Cl. X.R. 102-4, 37.1

